Liverpool beat Marseille to climb to fourth in Champions League table

Liverpool win 3-0 in Marseille, as Mohamed Salah returns to the starting lineup for first time since November.Published On 21 Jan 2026Liverpool swept ‍aside Olympique de Marseille with ‍a 3-0 away victory to extend their unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions and move a step closer to direct qualification for the Champions League last 16.Goals on Wednesday from Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, either side of a Geronimo Rulli own goal, lifted Arne Slot’s team to 15 points, leaving them well placed in the top eight ahead of the final round ⁠of matches. Marseille remain in the hunt for a playoff spot on nine points despite the defeat.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4AFCON: To walk or not to walk?list 2 of 4ICC won’t relocate Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup games from Indialist 3 of 4Roaring crowd helps Turkiye’s Sonmez storm into Australian Open 3rd roundlist 4 of 4‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighterend of listThe Ligue 1 side are 19th in the table ​and travel to Club Brugge in their final group match, needing a positive result to keep their European campaign alive, while ‍Liverpool, in fourth, will host Qarabag, knowing another win would secure their place in the last 16.Liverpool looked sharp as they continued their recovery after a difficult period earlier in the season, while Marseille once again showed their limitations on the biggest stage.“It’s always difficult to play against [Roberto] De Zerbi teams because if you aren’t front-footed, they can ‍play out pretty easy,” ⁠said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who made his 350th appearance for the club.“They keep on playing and taking a risk, so if you win the ball between the lines, then you have a chance. I’m pleased with the team, everybody put a shift in,” added the Dutch centre-back before warning of the dangers of Saturday’s Premier League opponents, Bournemouth.“We always say after a win or good result to keep momentum. But Bournemouth are a difficult team to beat, play very good football, and we have to be more than ready. We will recover and go again.”